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Genetic Code Supports Targeted Insertion of Two Amino Acids by One Codon

Authors :
Lawrence A. Klobutcher
Dolph L. Hatfield
Alexey V. Lobanov
Hilary G. Morrison
Anton A. Turanov
Vadim N. Gladyshev
Mitchell L. Sogin
Dmitri E. Fomenko
Source :
Science. 323:259-261
Publication Year :
2009
Publisher :
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2009.

Abstract

Strict one-to-one correspondence between codons and amino acids is thought to be an essential feature of the genetic code. However, we report that one codon can code for two different amino acids with the choice of the inserted amino acid determined by a specific 3′ untranslated region structure and location of the dual-function codon within the messenger RNA (mRNA). We found that the codon UGA specifies insertion of selenocysteine and cysteine in the ciliate Euplotes crassus , that the dual use of this codon can occur even within the same gene, and that the structural arrangements of Euplotes mRNA preserve location-dependent dual function of UGA when expressed in mammalian cells. Thus, the genetic code supports the use of one codon to code for multiple amino acids.

Details

ISSN :
10959203 and 00368075
Volume :
323
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Science
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....08e212d7030a5741f2ab65b668c49069
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1164748